Inscribed (men's) bodies, silent (women's) words: Rethinking colonial displacement of Koreans in Japan

Abstract

This article discusses the socio-historically generated effects of the discourse of decolonization in the case of Korean labor recruits in Japan. During World War II, tens of thousands of Koreans were forcibly brought to Japan by the Japanese military and government as laborers (or kyosei renko, in Japanese). While unreservedly recognizing that the discourse denouncing this violent displacement is indeed a discourse of resistance, the article takes a fresh look at the way in which one legitimate “colonial past” obscures other alternative pasts that may not appear to be central in terms of national-state-focused politics of decolonization. Analyzing the ways in which Korean women have appropriated the experience of male labor recruits, the article proposes that the domination of an “orthodox” version of the past of the oppressed people can create further layers of marginalization within the same group: by not paying attention to references other than those of national liberation—in this case, gender and gender-based exploitation—women are made to speak on behalf of men, rather than themselves. The article emphasizes the need to consider supplementing and revising the male-focused discourse of decolonization.